Still There For Me
by doodleswriter357
Summary: Chad's in detention-again! But his punishment is different this time. Whose gonna help him get through it? A short little one-shot I thought up! Chaylor all the way! Based on the song.


**My first Chaylor story!! It's based off the song "Still There For Me" by Corbin Bleu and Vanessa Hudgens. It's part songfic, part one-shot. Hope you like it!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Disney. (Do I look like a mouse? No.)** **I also don't own this song.**

* * *

"Mr. Danforth!!!" 

Chad cringed slightly as he heard Ms. Darbus yelling his name. She had obviously figured out what his latest prank was. On her desk, she had many pictures, most of them were of herself in various performances. During lunch, he had snuck upstairs to her classroom, and replaced the pictures with pictures of himself making goofy faces. Now he had to pay the price.

Ms. Darbus was on the verge of giving him detention when she realized something. It wouldn't do anything. She could give him as many detentions as she wanted, and he wouldn't learn his lesson. She had a brilliant idea though.

Chad, expecting a detention, was surprised, and a little scared, when Ms. Darbus smiled at him.

"Mr. Danforth, I have a special punishment for you," Ms. Darbus said, with an evil glint in her eye.

* * *

At lunch the next day, Chad sat, head in hands, completely oblivious to the commotion around him. He was in shock. Ms. Darbus had said that he, _HE, _had to get up in front of a lot of people - on stage- and sing. 

"Oh come on Chad," Gabriella said. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah," Troy chimed in. "At least you don't have to wear tights and a leotard!"

As Chad glared at Troy, Gabriella lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Not helping," Chad groaned. Just then, Sharpay and Ryan came up. Sharpay took one look at the misery that Chad was in, and began to laugh. Ryan however, had a comforting word for Chad.

"Ms. Darbus said that you could have one of the members of the Drama Club sing with you if you wanted."

"Really?!" Chad exclaimed, his head shooting up. When Ryan nodded, he turned to Gabriella, and said, "Hey Gabs, will you sing with me?"

Before Gabriella could answer, Sharpay cut in after stopping laughing abruptly.

"What?! She's not even in the Drama Club! Why aren't you asking me?"

"Because," Chad said absently, not really paying attention, and waited for Gabriella's answer.

"Sure, no problem," was her reply. Soon, within the next couple of days, they had picked a song, and started working on it everyday. It turned out that there were new students visiting East High, to see if they wanted to go to school there, and Chad was supposed to represent the Drama Club. Chad figured that Ms. Darbus didn't want these students at the school, or at least in the Drama Club, if he was supposed to be representing it. But then, she said if he messed up really bad, Ryan would be waiting in the wings to take over.

Too soon for Chad the dreaded day arrived. He considered skipping, except Ms. Darbus would probably cook something worse up for him to do. With great trepidition, he headed out for school.

He was supposed to meet Gabriella, so they could practice one more time, but she was no where to be found. This did not make Chad very happy, and just made him more anxious. Finally he saw her walking towards him with Kelsi and Taylor on either side of her.

"Gabs, where have you been?" He exclaimed, running up to her.

"She can't talk- or sing," Kelsi informed him.

"What?!?!?!"

"She's got laryengites** (sorry for that totally butchered spelling!) **and she's really sorry." Kelsi explained.

Chad looked at Gabriella, who looked like she was going to cry.

"It's okay Gabi, it's not your fault," he said. "But now what am I going to do? Sing with Sharpay?"

The girls looked helplessly at each other. Then Taylor said,

"I'll sing with you."

Chad looked at her in surprise. He knew she was a good singer, from hearing her in Battle of the Bands, but she wasn't the performer-type and -

"Do you know the song?"

"I've heard you sing it a million times. I know it pretty well." Taylor replied.

Chad thought about it for a nanosecond, then grabbed Taylor up into a huge hug and spun her around.

"Thank you!!" he yelled, setting her down, kissed her on the cheek, and ran off to his class.

The girls stared at each other for a second, then burst out laughing. Chad would always be - Chad.

* * *

Pretty soon, it was time. Besides the two students, (who it turned out Sharpay knew, and didn't like one of them,) and Ms. Darbus, there was most of the Drama Club, half the basketball team, some of the Scholastic Decatholon, and a few students who had nothing better to do with their time, were all crammed into the auditorium. Chad stood backstage, nervous and wanting this to be done with. Then Kelsi started the music, and he stepped out onto the stage, blinking at the bright lights, and started to sing: 

_Lately I've been thinking bout_

_all the things that we've been through_

_And I don't know if I'd be here_

_If not for you._

_I had to take a little time_

_to try to work things out_

_and you should know that I_

_never meant to let you down._

Then Taylor walked out and started singing with him.

_Cuz I, wanna tell you _

_that I'm sorry; and I_

_Even when I'm not giving enough_

_and I'm taking too much_

_You're still there for me. _

_Even when I've got nothing at all_

_and I'm ready to fall_

_You're still there for me_

_there for me _

_there for me._

Taylor then started her solo, looking into Chad's eyes the entire time.

_Sometimes I can be so hard to understand_

_Even when I'm lost_

_You show me who I really am_

_Life with me, it hasn't always been_

_an easy ride_

_But because of you_

_I've learned to lose my selfish pride._

Their voices then blended together again in the chorus.

_Cuz I, wanna tell you _

_that I'm sorry; and I_

_Even when I'm not giving enough_

_and I'm taking too much_

_You're still there for me. _

_Even when I've got nothing at all_

_and I'm ready to fall_

_You're still there for me_

_there for me _

_there for me._

Then they sang overlapping each other.

_Oh I know it's love._

_Oh, it must be love_

_It's gotta be real love._

_Real love._

_Cuz I, wanna tell you _

_that I'm sorry; and I_

_Even when I'm not giving enough_

_and I'm taking too much_

_You're still there for me. _

_Even when I've got nothing at all_

_and I'm ready to fall_

_You're still there for me_

_there for me _

_there for me._

* * *

They ended, gazing into each other's eyeswhen they were startled out of their moment by very loud applause.

* * *

Backstage, Ms. Darbus was shocked. She gave Chad a weak congratulations, and moved on. Her plan had failed. 

Gabriella made it backstage, and wanted to tell Chad that he did an amazing job, but remembered that she couldn't talk, so she settled for a thumbs-up. Chad swept her into one of his famous bear hugs.

"Thanks Gabs, because you helped me practice, and if you hadn't gotten sick, Taylor and I wouldn't have been able to do this."

She responded with a wink.

Ryan made his way over to Chad, and gave him a high-five.

"I didn't do too bad did I?"

"Nope, and those students are definitely gonna come to school here - unfortunately." Ryan added as an afterthought.

"Why is that bad?"

"Sharpay and the guy hate each other. There goes any chance for a peaceful senior year!"

"Were we gonna get one anyways?"

Chad was interrupted with a yell of "Ryan!!!" as the girl that was visiting, a pretty brown-haired girl, Chad noted, ran up, and flung her arms around Ryan in a hug. Chad winked at Ryan, and went on to find Taylor.

"Hey thanks," he said when he found her.

"No problem," she said. Chad leaned over and kissed her on the lips. She smiled when they broke apart, and he took her hand to lead her up to a quieter part of the school. As they went, he began planning his next prank, because just look at the result of this one!

* * *

**Okay, horrible ending! The story wasn't that great either, but I had that in my system, and I had to get it out! R&R Please!!!!**


End file.
